The infrastructure of the human body that allows us to perform our daily activities from standing, to sitting, to walking, or even climbing is our skeletal system. The major pillar or beam in the skeletal system is the vertebral column (spinal column). This bone structure allows us to bend, stand upright, twist, to dancing up a storm down the happy trail of life, if taken care of properly. If not, you may not be considering your life a happy tune, during that time of injury that can be a short or long haul before resolved, if ever. This infrastructure is so vital in our activities of our daily life. Many of us don’t realize that until the injury or damage sets in. There is one way you can bypass this disaster, don’t have it become a part of your life which is taking preventative measures; especially if you do heavy lifting in your life; like in my job as a nurse. One major ingredient to preventative measures is proper body mechanics but the trick here is never lift heavy items from below your waist level without bending your legs or even better without a second person helping you or some form of support but there is more to it than just that. There are more factors involved in helping you keep your back with all other bones strong. That would be healthy dieting, maintaining a good weight for your height (body mass index), and good exercise (not necessarily work out but if that is what you enjoy doing, it’s even better and don’t stop). All these ingredients to a better development and maintenance of your skeletal system=HEALTHY HABITS. A plus and benefit that many choose to do is going regularly to a chiropractor who can keep your spine in alignment (see one before injury starts). Recommended in Rockland County, NY is Dr. Diane Gregory, who I go to for my back and who has done both prevention & Rx; www.gregorychiropractic.com.

The key is to be living a healthy life. This consists of diet, exercise, activity and healthy habits learned and practiced in your routine of daily living that will help prevent or assist you in treating bone and back injuries; even problems caused by the inactivity with doing heavy lifting (Ex. lack of any muscle tone or muscle knots), which can inflict bone or back injuries. The better we treat ourselves EVERYDAY regarding health the higher the odds we will live a longer life. One common problem in America that can occur if not living healthy and/or using improper body mechanics with heavy lifting, especially frequently, can increase the risk of sciatica nerve damage. The pain of sciatica is typically felt from the low back (lumbar area) to behind the thigh and radiating down below the knee. The sciatica nerve is the largest nerve in the body that begins from nerve roots in the lumbar spinal cord in the low back and extends through the buttock to send the nerve ending down the lower limb to the foot. Depending on the precise cause of the sciatica symptoms with the duration, the outlook for recovery from sciatica ranges from excellent to having long term chronic symptoms. This can be prevented to some extent by avoiding low back trauma injuries. Thinking before lifting is the one of the best ideas. Osteoporosis is a common bone problem that is a abnormal loss of bony tissue resulting in fragile porous bones attributable to a lack of calcium, most common in postmenopausal women. This progressive bone disease that’s characterized by a decrease in bone mass and density leads to an increased risk of a fracture. The causes of this disease that are modifiable (can be changed) would be: Vitamin D deficiency, menopause, excess alcohol, tobacco smoking, malnutrition (identified risk factors include low dietary calcium and/or phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, boron, iron, fluoride, copper, vitamins A,K,E, and C; also D where skin exposure to sunlight provides an inadequate supply. Excess sodium is a risk factor. High blood acidity may be diet related, and is a known antagonist to the bone. Some have identified low protein intake as associated with lower peak bone mass during adolescence and lower bone mineral density in elderly populations. Other risk factors are inactive, underweight, heavy leads-a strong association between cadmium and lead with bone disease has been established. Low-level exposure to cadmium is associated with an increased loss of bone mineral density readily in both genders. Some studies even show soft drinks can increase the risk of osteoporosis related to high phosphoric acid. Others suggest soft drinks may displace calcium containing drinks from the diet rather than causing osteoporosis.    Another bone disorder is osteomalacia that is a softening of the bones caused by defective bone mineralization secondary to inadequate amounts of available phosphorus and calcium. The most common cause of the disease is a deficiency in vitamin D, which is normally obtained from the diet and/or from sunlight exposure. We can help our bones in many ways. There is not just one food to eat or one type of exercise to do or one healthy habit to practice to keep you healthy with strong bones, there are choices. Come to my website for no fee, no charge, no hacking, just letting you check us out to look further in understanding how to take a healthier shape for your life with Dr. Anderson and even myself as your health coach. We can help you learn what healthy habits &/or diet changes that you feel you need and want in your daily living for a healthier way of life. It allows you to make all the decisions in what you want to do regarding what to eat (diet), what exercise/activity, and what healthy habits you want to add in your daily routine life. We just provide the information and healthy foods in your diet through information to broaden your knowledge with even a catalog on diet foods, if you desire. You make all the choices. Wouldn’t you want less risk of bone or back injury or disease for yourself and for others throughout the nation including the future generations? Than join me and others. Thank you for taking the time to read my introduction to how we can help you get healthier and make a healthier USA. Click onto heathyusa.tsfl.com and I hope to hear from you soon. If you like what you see spread the good cheer. Let’s build a stronger foundation regarding HEALTH in America.

“The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat.” Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist

Cellulite in technical terms is noted at adiposis edematoso meaning your adipose tissue=fat that has swollen up (edematoso); or it is called gynoid lipodystrophy meaning anything pertaining to the women (gynoid) and that the lipid tissue is degenerating (ending line loosening tone).  One other medical term it is noted as is orange peel syndrome=the herniation of subcutaneous fat within fibrous connective tissue that ends up looking like skin dimpling, often on the pelvic region (Specifically the buttock) including the lower limbs (thighs) and abdomen. Cellulite occurs in most post-pubescent females and rarely in males. Why is this? Well, for one the tissue make up some say that men’s tissue in these areas are made up in a horizontal make up where in women it’s a honey comb make up allowing more fat to store. That is why you see most men overweight with it in the abdomen and not in the legs or buttock compared to women. Also with women in menopause the hormonal make up compared to men which adds to increasing the chance of putting weight on. The factors that can prone you to cellulite forming on the body are 1-genetic (which may be the biggest factor in developing it especially if it’s in the family tree), 2-hormones (Estrogen the important hormone to initiate and aggravate cellulite.), 3-predisposing factors (Sex, race, biotype, or predisposition to lymphatic or circulatory insufficiency which contribute to cellulite), 4-Let’s not forget lifestyle also (increase in level of catecholamines, which associate with the evolution of cellulite (particularly sedentary lifestyle). Lack of activity (not work out) but walking fast 30 to 60 minutes a day would surely show a difference in your cellulite in time with good healthy dieting.

Problems that cause cellulite to show on your body are poor health habits, poor dieting to the point you get overweight or obese. So the resolution to this is eat meals low in starches & carbohydrates, low in sugar, and moderate amounts of fat. With your protein highest in count of every meal (about 14 or so in 6 meals a day is more than enough) and by the end of the day your protein count should add up to the highest number compared to the others. Why because you keep your metabolism at a steady rate with your sugar count not spiking into high levels of glucose in your bloodstream, after a meal. What is so important about this? Realize that starches, carbohydrates (CHOs), sugars=calories and some fats will get broken down into complex or simple sugars (frucose and glucose for example) during the digestion process in the stomach.   Eating only 3 to 4 large or moderate or even small meals high in sugar, CHOs, starches or fat=ending product of high spikes of sugar in your blood stream. In doing this your body naturally reacts, first sending glucose in the bloodstream to the pancreas. The pancreas senses glucose in the blood then releases the hormone insulin (not like in diabetics since their pancreas will release nonworking insulin or too little of working insulin or no insulin at all depending on that diabetic individual). The insulin will allow the glucose to transfer into tissues and cells that are utilizing the need for sugar which is our fuel/energy but only for the amount needed at that time. Usually glucose is our primary fuel to tissues and cells to allow them to do their function-like gas to a car to be able to run; but remember our human body can’t release the extra glucose out of our body left in the blood stream that came from our breakdown, in our stomach, from our meal. When the glucose was needed in the body cells and tissues, at that time, it was used but not all was utilized we don’t utilize all that sugar especially if it is a large meal or even a moderate to small meal that had high sugar or carbohydrates or starch in it. These kind of meals produce excess sugar in the blood stream. Now if the body could just release extra sugar from the body as a waste product (through urine or stool or perspiration) no one would be overweight or obese in any country and we could eat anything we want at anytime we want (from eggs benedict every day for breakfast to burger king hamburgers with fries on it for lunch to Chinese fast food with Sundaes for dinner and of course let’s not forget chocolate for snacks in between). The body doesn’t work that way. The excess sugar your body didn’t need to utilize at that time now goes to the liver where this organ converts glucose to glycogen (from active sugar to inactive sugar). So when the body does need sugar and we haven’t ate at that time the liver can just release glycogen into the blood stream where it gets converted back to glucose if the body needs active energy at that time (If you’re doing a 16 hr shift with you now into 12hrs of your shift and no food since 6am the body needs fuel at that point the liver will do this releasing of glycogen to the bloodstream, for example).   Now if you’re eating 3 large or moderate meals a day with snacks in between the liver won’t need to do this releasing of glycogen into the bloodstream, especially if you’re not eating healthy.   If your eating 3 large meals with especially fast foods and not working out 3 to 5 times a week with working 40 hours a week or equating to be that active in your life you are at high probability of putting weight on. Now remember your liver is only so big to store a certain amount of glucose and when it reaches full the sugar that couldn’t get stored in the liver than stays in the blood stream. Just like our car tank it can fill up only so much and it reaches full. The extra glucose that can’t get stored in the liver has to go somewhere else out of the bloodstream to prevent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels). It now gets stored in our fat tissue=fat or weight gain, again especially if you’re eating too high a quantity in your meals, or too high a quantity in starches or even calories=sugars or carbohydrates and even fats. All there ending product is in the blood after digestion in the stomach is sugar (simple sugars). What will result in time from this type of dieting: you have high probability of becoming overweight to obese with cellulite developing over the body (particularly the pelvic region, abdomen, thighs and buttock). The degree of cellulite will depend on age factor since it will increase the probability for women in menopause), type of activity in that individual’s life- -moving from active to sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating to unhealthy habits over years vs healthy. The answer is not necessarily to perform a heavy workout including weights (especially if overweight or obese since the fat will turn to muscle and unless you do weight lifting till you die, like Jack Lanne, it will turn back to fat and cellulite). The key is living healthier habits, good dieting (6 small meals a day to balance your metabolism=sugar level), knowing the 4 food groups and how to dispense them in your meals properly (CHOs, sugars=calories,starches, and fats) and knowing what is in the liquids you drink (many with high sugar contents, as simple as soda, coke or Pepsi, and fruit juices). I’m not saying start diet soda (since it contains phenylalanine or NutraSweet both that can cause cancer) but water (plain or flavored) or club soda (plain or flavored) or certain ice teas or lemonades (particularly homemade) depending on the ingredients. You have to just read the ingredients to see that the sugar, CHO, calories, fat, and starch content that is in it. It should be low in sugar, CHO, calorie, starch counts as opposed to the protein=higher than the rest. If you eat 6 meals a day the protein should be over 12 each meal.

The reason why cellulite is our enemy is because for it to even show up on the body you have to become overweight to obese. Obesity is a major enemy for any country to have in high population because of the diseases it alone can cause. It can cause diabetes 2, high blood pressure, stroke, coronary artery disease, joint problems including osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome, in women contributes to a variety of cancers including breast/colon/gallbladder/uterus, in men contributes to having a higher risk of colon or prostate cancers, sleep apnea and respiratory problems and could go on. Now do you see why developing cellulite is our enemy=Obesity and what it can cause alone.

Cellulite is something we can resolve by decreasing weight and having daily or at least every other day some activity from fast walking to jogging or even Pilates. If you are disabled and can’t do much activity you surely can do something through your diet. If you need guidance on how to lose weight with how to get started, than you surely came to the right site. This includes 6 meals a day with learning about the 4 groups (knowing from each group what’s lean, leaner, and leanest) to learning what activity does for the body then you came to the right blog. If you want to learn more about this than go to my website healthyusa.tsfl.com and peek at what we can offer you through Dr. Wayne Scott Anderson with his book “Dr A’s Habits of Health” and even foods to buy if you want them in the beginning of your diet loss which provides health bars to lunches and dinners to desserts of all kinds to all types of shakes/drinks and so much more foods (low in fat/calories/carbs/starches). Learn how to become healthier for yourself, even spreading the news to family or friends who may become interested and being a great mentor for your children in helping the next generation to be more healthy which would help our health care system to our health economy that includes insurance payments for bills at hospitals/doctor’s offices which would lessen. Our society has become so unhealthy in diet causing so many increases in diseases/illnesses, including children, (Obesity, Diabetes II, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and more) that we have the government getting involved. Take a look at Facebook or YouTube with pictures of people in America shopping at Wal-Mart. It may be funny to some people but it is also outright scary with what’s happening to our country to other people, like myself. Our country has increased drastically in poor health habits that killed our economy, with let alone our health care system including what insurance costs are like for our society. We could, as a society, turn things around for the better regarding ourselves and others in our country for everyone’s health that would impact every American citizen of all ages in a positive way. I hope I have impacted someone in this country in wanting to learn more about knowing how to become healthier with making a good change for our country as a diversified whole. Society has a responsibility and impact on how things run in each of their respective countries but especially in America, since we live in a democracy. Its common sense if we get better regarding our health overall it will put an impact on our health; if we don’t our health care system will just get WORSE. Do mom’s and dad’s want this for their children’s future or their grandchildren or even their own lives? Society has to take a stand, don’t leave it up to our government but leave it up to our citizens in America’s homes with our schools (Ex.proper health teaching regarding the cafeteria food), our restaurant industry (get off of living with such processed and fast foods in our states) and lastly our government to an extent (keeping an eye on the what the FDA allows especially regarding fast foods). What does any politician really care, in having as a top priority being health since their getting top quality insurance and making high incomes to live life up (President Obama upon retirement will be the first President making 450,000 dollars a year). I know I would be a happy camper too if I was in that situation and I could go on with other politicians salaries but I started with the top. So let’s make a move America and go for the healthier aspect of life.   Take a peek at no fee or charge, no prescription, no foods that you have to buy, no obligation, and no hacking, as well. You make all the choices in what you want and when you want to stop. No rip off or that you have to stay on our time frame, it’s all based on yours. Again, you make all the choices and wouldn’t it be great if we could turn around back the way our health was, not so bad, that our insurance today you pay a price that just keeps rising; and you have to go through so many hoops to see the type of doctor you want when onetime it was just a breeze. Join me, and go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and take just a peek in what we offer;) Hope to hear from anyone who would like a doctor (Dr. Anderson) and free coach (myself) for guidance in making America a healthier country.

Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. Connective tissue holds all the body’s cells, organs and tissue together. It also plays an important role in helping the body grow and develop properly.

The Marfan Foundation (http://www.marfan.org/about/marfan)

The primary purpose of connective tissue is to hold the body together and provide a framework for growth and development. In Marfan syndrome, the connective tissue is defective and does not act as it should. Because connective tissue is found throughout the body, Marfan syndrome can affect many body systems, including the skeleton, eyes, heart and blood vessels, nervous system, skin, and lungs. Marfan syndrome affects men, women, and children, and has been found among people of all races and ethnic backgrounds.

• The severity of Marfan syndrome varies from one individual to another and it typically progresses over time.
• A tall, slender build is characteristic of Marfan syndrome.
• Marfan syndrome affects the skeleton, eyes, heart and blood vessels, nervous system, skin, and respiratory system.
• Marfan syndrome is caused by a defect, or mutation, in the gene that determines the structure of fibrillin-1, a protein that is an important part of connective tissue.
• There is no specific laboratory test, such as a blood test or skin biopsy, to diagnose Marfan syndrome. The doctor and/or geneticist (a doctor with special knowledge about inherited diseases) relies on observation and a complete medical history and examination.
• There is no cure for Marfan syndrome. However, a range of treatment options are designed to minimize and prevent complications.Updated July 27, 2009.A person with Marfan syndrome has at least 3 symptoms in different parts of the body.The doctor may diagnose Marfan syndrome if the patient has a family history of the disease, and if there are specific problems in at least two of the body systems known to be affected. For a patient with no family history of the disease, at least three body systems must be affected before a diagnosis is made. Moreover, two of the systems must show clear signs that are relatively specific for Marfan syndrome.TreatmentReferences:2.) MedcineNet.com
• 1.) Health.com By Mary Kugler, R.N.   Updated July 27, 2009.
• There is no cure for Marfan syndrome, but there are treatments that can help prevent or minimize its complications. The biggest threat to people with the syndrome is the sudden tearing of the aorta, a medical emergency which can be fatal. Therefore, close monitoring by a cardiologist and surgical repair of a weak aorta will save many lives. Blood pressure medications can also reduce stress on the aorta, as can avoiding strenuous exercise and contact sports.
• If Marfan syndrome is suspected, a thorough physical examination should be done, as well as special testing. This would include: •A complete family medical history and family tree • Echocardiogram of the heart by a cardiologist •Examination of the skeleton and measurement of body proportions •Full eye examination by an eye doctor It is possible that a person may have a few of the symptoms of Marfan syndrome, but the diagnosis is not certain. The person may have a different connective tissue disorder, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or Loeys-Dietz syndrome .   A diagnostic test for Loeys-Dietz syndrome is available.
• Diagnosis
• Symptoms Marfan syndrome affects many areas of the body. Symptoms may include: •tall and thin body type •long arms, legs, fingers, and toes •flexible joints •curvature of the spine (scoliosis) •chest sinks in (pectus excavatum) or sticks out (pectus carinatum) •weak and fragile aorta, the main artery that carries blood away from the heart – it may become enlarged (aortic dilation) or develop a bulge (aneurysm), or may tear and burst (aortic dissection) •severe nearsightedness, and sometimes dislocated lens of the eye
•  Marfan syndrome is an inherited disorder of connective tissue, although about one-quarter of all cases occur without any family history of the syndrome. Marfan syndrome is caused by a defect in the fibrillin 1 gene on chromosome 15. It affects both men and women of all ethnic backgrounds. About 1 in 5,000 people have Marfan syndrome.  The aorta is affected in Marfan syndrome.  Photo © A.D.A.M.

 Yes there are people who get a seasonal flu vaccine and still get sick with flu-like symptoms?  This is why:

There are MANY reasons why someone might get a flu-like illness, even after they have been vaccinated against flu.

1. One reason is that some people can become ill from other respiratory viruses besides flu such as rhinoviruses, which are associated with the common cold, cause symptoms similar to flu, and also spread and cause illness during the flu season. The flu vaccine only protects against influenza viruses, not other viruses.
2. Another explanation is that it is possible to be exposed to influenza viruses, which cause the flu, shortly before getting vaccinated or during the two-week period after vaccination that it takes the body to develop immune protection. This exposure may result in a person becoming ill with flu before protection from the vaccine takes effect.
3. A third reason why some people may experience flu like symptoms despite getting vaccinated is that they may have been exposed to a flu virus that is very different from the viruses the vaccine is designed to protect against. The ability of a flu vaccine to protect a person depends largely on the similarity or “match” between the viruses selected to make the vaccine and those spreading and causing illness. There are many different flu viruses that spread and cause illness among people. For more information, see Influenza (Flu) Viruses.
4. The final explanation for experiencing flu-like symptoms after vaccination is that unfortunately, the flu vaccine doesn’t always provide adequate protection against the flu. This is more likely to occur among people that have weakened immune systems or people age 65 and older.

 SO WHAT CAN YOU DO IN TRYING TO PREVENT THIS?

The 10 Ways to HealthHYPERLINK “http://www.cdc.gov/family/holiday/12ways.htm” this holiday SEASON!

Keep yourself warm

Wash both your hands often-keeping hands clean most important.

Manage Stress

Travel safely

Be Smoke Free

GET VACCINATED for the FLU-FIRST PREVENTION MOVE TO TAKE.

Handle Food safely, including how you prepare it.

EAT HEALTHY AND BE ACTIVE

Watch the kids-at a high risk for injuries. Develop and reinforce rules about acceptable and safe behaviors, including electronic media.

Prevent injuries

All these measures help prevent putting your immunity down and being put at risk for picking up the FLU easier during the winter weather.

CORRECT MISCONCEPTIONS OF THE FLU SHOT

Can a flu shot give you the flu?      

No, let me tell you why.

A flu shot cannot cause flu illness. Flu vaccines that are administered with a needle are currently made in two ways: the vaccine is made either with a) flu vaccine viruses that have been ‘inactivated’ and are therefore not infectious, or b) with no flu vaccine viruses at all (which is the case for recombinant influenza vaccine). The most common side effects from the influenza shot are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given. Low-grade fever, headache and muscle aches also may occur.

“With the absence of a flu vaccination last year, I did not take a flu shot; but there is still some immunity that carries over from year to year; but about every 30 years, there is a major change in the genetics of the flu virus.”

Michael John Clement Burgess (born 31 March 1946, is the Coroner of the Queen’s Household;  He was appointed deputy coroner in 1991 and was appointed coroner in 2002. He was in charge into the inquest into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Fayed until July 2006 when he announced that he wished to stand down from the case due to a “heavy and constant” workload).

FLU FACTS:

-Both colds and flu usually last the same seven to 10 days, but flu can go three to four weeks; the flu virus may not still be there, but you have symptoms long after it has left. Allergy can last weeks or months.

-The winter flu epidemic will be coming around us again and in a given locality it reaches its peak in 2 to 3 weeks and lasts 5 to 6 weeks. Then is disappears as quickly as it arrived. The reason for this is not completely clear. The usual pattern is for a rise in the incidence of flu in children, which precedes an increase in the adult population.

-The flu virus can lead to serious complications, including bronchitis, viral or bacterial pneumonia and even death in elderly and chronically ill patients. Twenty thousand or more people die of the flu in the America each year. Know this that the frequency of human contact across the world and the highly infectious nature of the virus make this explanation difficult to accept. Moreover there is no evidence of persistent or latent infection with influenza viruses. In any case, this idea is not really very difficult from the notion that the virus circulates at a low level throughout the year and seizes its opportunity to cause an outbreak when conditions allow.

-Even harder to explain is why the flu disappears from a community when there are still a large number of people susceptible to infection. Than even harder than that is why flu is a winter disease, which is not fully understood or known. However, flu is spread largely by droplet (aerosol) infection from individuals with high viral level in their nasal and throat secretions, sneezing, and coughing on anyone close at hand. The aerosol droplets of the right size (thought to be about 1.5 micrometers in diameter) remain airborne and are breathed into the nose or lungs of the next victim.

-Situations in which people are crowded together are more commonly in cold or wet weather and so perhaps this contributes to spreading the flu at these times. It is interesting that in equatorial countries, flu occurs throughout the year, but is highest in the monsoon or rainy season. Enough about facts but onto logical thinking for when we or someone we know has it and what questions we might be asking ourselves.

LOGICAL QUESTIONS YOU MAY ASK YOURSELF:

Are the treatments for these illnesses the cold or the flu different? For any of these things, if it affects the nose or sinus, just rinsing with saline that gets the mucus and virus out is a first-line defense. It’s not the most pleasant thing to do, but it works very well. There are classes of medicines that can help the flu — Tamiflu and Relenza — antivirals that block viruses’ ability to reproduce and shorten the length and severity of the illness. But they have to be taken within 48 hours or the cat is proverbially out of the bag [because by then] the virus has done the most of its reproduction. For a cold or flu, rest and use decongestants and antihistamines, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, chicken soup and fluids. Zinc supposedly helps the body’s natural defenses work to their natural capacity and decrease the severity and length of a cold. Cells need zinc as a catalyst in their protective processes, so if you supply them with zinc, it helps them work more efficiently. You should also withhold iron supplements. Viruses use iron as part of their reproductive cycle, so depriving them of it blocks their dissemination. The majority of these infections are not bacterial and do not require [nor will they respond to] antibiotics. My rule of thumb is that a viral infection should go away in seven to 10 days. If symptoms persist after that, you’d consider if it’s bacteria like Strep or Haemophilus     HYPERLINK “http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=how-much-aids-vaccine-do” HYPERLINK “http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=how-much-aids-vaccine-do”influenzae. Those bacteria cause illnesses that are longer lasting and need antibiotics for ranging 3 to 14 days, depending on the med used.

Is that treatment approach the same for kids versus adults? In general, the same rules apply: Most children will have six to eight colds a year in their first three years of life, and most are viral. Adults have 3 or more a year. It’s very easy to test for strep and for that you should have a [positive] culture [before treating with antibiotics]. The principle behind that is knowing the organism the doctor will know what antibiotic to use to fight off the bacterial infection and you won’t build up antibodies from the antibiotic that you didn’t need in the first place if you are given the wrong antibiotic in the beginning.

Are the strategies for avoiding cold and flu different? Avoidance is very similar: Strict hand washing, not sharing drinking cups or utensils, and avoiding direct contact with people who are sneezing. Their transmission is similar. As long as someone has a fever, they have the possibility to transmit infection. After they’ve had no fever for 24 hours, they’re not infectious anymore.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that just about everyone get the flu shot: kids 6 months to 19 years of age, pregnant women, people 50 and up, and people of any age with compromised immune systems.

Is the shot beneficial to anyone who gets it? Unless you have a contraindication, there’s no reason not to get it=PREVENTION. Contraindications include egg allergy (because the vaccine is grown from egg products), any vaccines within a last week or two, and active illness at the time of your vaccine.

The best to do is PREVENTION so you can avoid the cold or flu in its active phase or post phase, so doing the following will help prevent it:

Live a healthy lifestyle overall=Good dieting, living good healthy habits and maintaining exercise with rest daily or 2 to 3 times a week including get a vaccine yearly for the flu with maintaining good clean anti-infection habits like as simply as washing the hands as directed above.

If you need help in being given the knowledge in how routinely lose weight if not maintain your good weight, knowing what foods are lean to leaner to leanest out of the 4 food groups, understanding why portions of meals including exercise balanced with rest is so important, how all 4 interact with each other impacting your metabolism rate, and keeping a healthier body with a higher chance of increasing your immunity with fighting off simple colds to possibly the flu when near someone contaminated with the virus and making this a regular part not just a few months to a year but for life then you came to the right blog. This is provided through Dr. Anderson and myself as your health coach if you need one in where we help you get started on this goal in your life. You can order Dr. Anderson’s book “Dr. A’s healthy habits” that provides the information on foods to help you lose the excess of weight with so much more in learning about the body to diseases in prevention and Rx. Most important, you make all the choices.   I needed to lose weight and lost 22 lbs. and hope to continue to lose another 20 lbs or so. So if you want to prevent getting the cold to the flu with so many other diseases and illnesses go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and do what I did Medifast or just simply learn how to balance your protein with your carbohydrates including watching your fat and calories in the diet.  The ideal way to eat on a regular basis is one healthy small meal every 4 to 5 hours with high protein small CHO/CALORIES/FAT.  Eat every 4 to 5 regular or big or small junk food/ high CHO/Calorie/fat bakery item you’ll gain weight.  Take a peek for no charge, no obligation and no hacking at medifast or just do it on your own but don’t forget exercise balanced with rest (work is not exercise). I hope you have learned something new from my blog.

****Recommended is to check with your MD on any changes with habits, diet or exercise especially if diagnosed already with disease or illness for your safety.****

References for Part 1,2, and 3 on the two bugs The FLU and The COLD:

1-Wikipedia “the free encyclopedia” 2013 website under the topic Influenza.

2-Kimberly Clark Professional website under the influenza.

3-Web MD under “COLD, FLU, COUGH CENTER” “Flu or cold symptoms?” Reviewed by Laura J. Martin MD November 01, 2011

4-2013 Novartis Consumer Health Inc. Triaminic “Fend off the Flu”

5-Scientific American “Why do we get the flu most often in the winter? Are viruses virulent in cold weather? December 15, 1997

“Cold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch colds and a key way they pass colds on to their parents.”

WEB MD; reviewed by David T. Derrer, MD on August 16, 2014 (http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/11-tips-prevent-cold-flu)